Despite what religious people may say, there’s still a lack of representation of women in Church, individuality is played down while collectivism is valued, and homophobia still runs rampant with the congregation.
So unless they pull a Madonna and revamp their whole image, it’s going to be tough to convince Generation Y that going to church will be worth their time. Although there are still many people supporting their church y giving out donations since there are many people who aren’t attending church anymore. If you don’t have cash to donate while at church, then you should text in church, but not to start sending messages but by donating online.
Check out the article below from the Root for more stats and studies. Neat stuff. And as always, drop a comment below. Let’s get the discussion rolling.
Are Millennials Losing Faith?
By Brandee Sanders for the Root
Sunday morning rolls around again, and I get the early wakeup call from my father. “Get up, Brandee. Get ready for church.” My first thought is to go right back to sleep, because I don’t want to go. It’s not a case of Sunday-morning laziness; I’d just rather not be there, and according to a study conducted earlier this year by the Pew Research Center, two-thirds of young Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 agree with me.
Church isn’t appealing to me, and it never has been. I have vivid memories of sitting in the last pew as a child with crayons and a coloring book for some sort of entertainment. Since I’ve retired the Crayolas and coloring books and started paying closer attention to the sermons, I discovered that some of the messages in church are irrelevant to people of my generation.
Some of my closest friends are gay, but the pastor is telling me that “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” AIDS is the leading cause of death for African-American women between the ages of 25 and 34, but the pastor tells me that using condoms is a sin because it’s a form of birth control. I live in a world where women are the CEOs of successful businesses and hold high positions in the government, but within the walls of the church, female leadership is often absent. Only 10 percent of churches in the United States employ women as senior pastors. These sexist, homophobic and conservative attitudes of the church are what is causing young people to question their faith, causing Gen-Yers to abandon the church in increasing numbers.
Many church principles simply don’t reflect the views of young Americans. A recent study discovered that young people are more accepting of homosexuality: 63 percent of young adults believe that homosexuality should be accepted within society, versus 50 percent of adults in general. In most churches, discussing homosexuality is a taboo. “There’s denial about homosexuality in the church,” said Boyce Watkins, Ph.D., founder of the Your Black World Coalition. It’s “even to the extreme where you have people who believe that if you pray enough, you will not be gay anymore,” he adds.
We live in a society where open homosexuality is becoming common, but most in the church have yet to accept it. If God accepts us as we are, then why do some homosexuals feel unwelcome in church? Skepticism concerning church teachings about the Bible may be the reason 67 percent of young Christian adults say they don’t read it.
“It’s become more and more common on college campuses that people openly question who is God and how do we reconcile the question of evil?” said Jamila Bey, an African-American freelance journalist and atheist. After being a Roman Catholic for most of her life, Bey recently decided to divorce her religion and declare herself to be an atheist.
Sometimes, stepping into church feels to me like going into a time warp, with all of the old-fashioned and conservative views being enforced. In this day and age, gender roles have shifted, but sexism continues to linger in many churches. When I go to church, I can’t help noticing that there is a lack of female leadership. Women are confined to either being ushers or being in the choir.
View Comments
I Believe In Everything & Nothing! All I KNOW Is What I've Experienced! If I were to write a book & claim it was directed by God, how many of you would believe me? How many of you would think I needede some serious "Help"? Yet millions are taught that they should believe & turn their lives over to a contradicting, wishy-washy God that's supposed to know everything which can only mean that god is a egomanical sadist! If "He" knows everything then we were just meant to be puppets until the more intelligent of the two, (the Female) decided to think, yahweh forbid, & tested what she'd been told which she had NO way of comprehending in the fist place having seen no death, felt no pain, etc.! Eve Was Framed! Don't need to be saved since I'm not from the little "garden of eden" experiment! It's Your Hell! You Burn In It! What kind of a Loving anything would do such things?! You Bible is THE GREATEST ATROCITY EVER INFLICTED ON MANKID & YOUR RELIGIONS ARE NOTHING MORE THAN LIES & PROPAGANDA USED TO PROMOTE FEAR TO CONTROL THE MASSES!
IT'S CALLED THINKING! TRY IT SOME TIME!
I understand that we are living in a time when, many people believe that it is 'young people's time'. However, I want to remind everyone of us that it is "God's Time". Young people need to understand that it's not about them, neither is it about the adults, but about God. What does God requires. It is not what we like or what we wish to do or say, it is what God requires of us. When we get to knowing and understanding God's will, then nothing will offend us. We complain about rules in church and we fight against obeying them, yet, we go to school and there's rules, we go to work and there's rules, some of us end up in prison and there's rules....what's our point exactly. The church is living in the world but is not of the world. The world should not dictate the paste of the world. The Bible says "LOve not the world, neither the things that are in the world...etc." We have to be careful how we are compromising to fit into the equation of the world, for we cannot serve God and mammon.
I understand that we are living in a time when, many people believe that it is 'young people's time'. However, I want to remind everyone of us that it is "God's Time". Young people need to understand that it's not about them, neither is it about the adults, but about God. What does God requires. It is not what we like or what we wish to do or say, it is what God requires of us. When we get to knowing and understanding God's will, then nothing will offend us. We complain about rules in church and we fight against obeying them, yet, we go to school and there's rules, we go to work and there's rules, some of us end up in prison and there's rules....what's our point exactly. The church is living in the world but is not of the world. The world should not dictate the paste of the world. The Bible says "LOve not the world, neither the things that are in the world...etc." We have to be careful how we are compromising to fit into the equation of the world, for we cannot serve God and mammon.
People often forget that church is one of the vehicles to God, not "the vehicle". Personal attrition and desire is what leads people to God. This is what is missing in church today. Pastors and Priests are so focused on rules, sins, money, and numbers that they are the one's losing sight of the meaning of church. People have to develop their own relationship to God and connect with him on a personal level. The church is supposed to help you stay connected when you falter and assist you in re-gaining your footing. I belong to a church that assists one another in trying to keep a personal relationship with their God and maker. Many of the young people first off, forget where they came from. They forget to give thanks, and expect things to be given to them like relishing in the fruit of the tree not understanding that someone planted and nourished the tree to health. Church has a role in spirituality, however the correct principles are not being taught in many of those churches because greed and selfishness is seeping through the doors.
People often forget that church is one of the vehicles to God, not "the vehicle". Personal attrition and desire is what leads people to God. This is what is missing in church today. Pastors and Priests are so focused on rules, sins, money, and numbers that they are the one's losing sight of the meaning of church. People have to develop their own relationship to God and connect with him on a personal level. The church is supposed to help you stay connected when you falter and assist you in re-gaining your footing. I belong to a church that assists one another in trying to keep a personal relationship with their God and maker. Many of the young people first off, forget where they came from. They forget to give thanks, and expect things to be given to them like relishing in the fruit of the tree not understanding that someone planted and nourished the tree to health. Church has a role in spirituality, however the correct principles are not being taught in many of those churches because greed and selfishness is seeping through the doors.
Continued from last post....
Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to say that the church is all bad, but i bet they would kick you out from there if you would go in and tell them about everything we learn on this site. The church should be affraid, because people in general are getting back the power of their faith and spiritualism into their lives in their own unique ways, and less likely to follow the practices of the church. Spiritualism should be an individualistic topic anyway. Everybody has the right to have his/her own way of looking at God and connecting with God.
Continued from last post....
Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to say that the church is all bad, but i bet they would kick you out from there if you would go in and tell them about everything we learn on this site. The church should be affraid, because people in general are getting back the power of their faith and spiritualism into their lives in their own unique ways, and less likely to follow the practices of the church. Spiritualism should be an individualistic topic anyway. Everybody has the right to have his/her own way of looking at God and connecting with God.
I'm not suprised by this fact at all. Matter of fact, I believe its normal for youngsters not to like church. Just take a closer look at what the church represents lately. It's all about money and power and politics. It has become soo corrupt over the past centuries, it hurts me deeply. It should be a place where people DO find their connection with God through excercises and meditation, and so on (the type of stuff the FinerMinds crew is talking about mostly), and not trying to control people with fear, with limitations and bad intentions. The church keeps on saying a mantra that is centuries outdated. We live in the 21st century, and the church has to adopt to that, or it will lose all its power in a matter of a few decades if not sooner.